huggywuggysuppy

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okay where are the henchwomen

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She's punk now ig

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past life pearlie. for the one time

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SACRIFICE

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scott should team with more chaotic prone to death ppl its so funny

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AND SHE ADMITS IT ONSTREAM WITHOUT REMORSE

Scar 7/28 stream vod 3:46:15

Scar: Etho at one point told me he wanted me to test out this thing [the ladder trap]. I don’t even know if that made it into the edit! But he might’ve killed me with that! Once I think about it… Gem: (neutral hmm) Scar: He was setting Cabincore up to die! He was setting me up! Gem: Yeah. I mean to be fair I invited Pearl to the game too, and then-then I sent her on a mission, so that she wouldn’t play the game. Scar: (chuckling) That’s funny. Gem: Little bit of both on my end.

Defending Etho by bringing up her own betrayal! Downplaying how fervently she flattered Pearl! Her nonchalance! Pearl playing (and subsequently dying) would've lent credence to the Villy's innocence, but still undeniably hurtful! And consciously sending Pearl away not only to not get in their way, but protect her? Can we believe Gem still values Pearl's life? Bring her to the judge!

GEM TRIED CONVINCING PEARL TO GO ON THE LADDERS??

Grian’s episode 36:50

Gem: …You’re like the most skilled of the villains! You’re by far our best player. Pearl: I-I’ve already proven that I die to ladders! (chuckle) This is a bad omen! I can tell. It’s scary. Gem: Now listen: you...

Neither of them including it in their videos? Gem later changing gears to send Pearl away on an errand instead? Not warning her about the danger is one thing, but outright trying to send her up the death trap? Was it desperation — believing nobody was gonna play? Resolve — Pearl wouldn't hold it against her in a way that matters? Exploding them with my mind.

[huggywuggysuppy]

GEM TRIED CONVINCING PEARL TO GO ON THE LADDERS??

Grian’s episode 36:50

Gem: …You’re like the most skilled of the villains! You’re by far our best player. Pearl: I-I’ve already proven that I die to ladders! (chuckle) This is a bad omen! I can tell. It’s scary. Gem: Now listen: you...

Neither of them including it in their videos? Gem later changing gears to send Pearl away on an errand instead? Not warning her about the danger is one thing, but outright trying to send her up the death trap? Was it desperation — believing nobody was gonna play? Resolve — Pearl wouldn't hold it against her in a way that matters? Exploding them with my mind.

[huggywuggysuppy]

hi can i request that "pearl's pov is its own post" post pls and ty

Hi! You sure can! Already up as part of a different ask -- it was all planned foreshadowing. Hope you enjoy!

[huggywuggysuppy]

How would you describe Gem’s behaviour towards Pearl this session? Not a lot of interactions, or not as many as I was hoping, but was wondering if you had any thoughts on the crumbs we got.

Hiii! So glad you asked. Basically, Gem trusts she can put Pearl on hold, building tension she doesn't know how to address, towards inevitable confrontation she looks forward to.

Pearl's used to following Gem blindly, knowing she's being deceived/manipulated usually for a greater cause (entertainment), but it's curious that Gem has equal faith in Pearl this episode. She thinks Pearl will lie on Grian's behalf (which she does defend him, while admitting her doubts) and doesn't seem concerned about Pearl falling for the ladder trap. Gem gladly gives her diamonds/resources/attention when prompted, but only initiates distancing Pearl from what her and Grian are up to (ex: sending her on errands.) Yet, Gem expresses no hints that their dynamic is twisted, not since ep1 "What do you think about teaming with me?" Pearl's answer of raw faith means Gem knows Pearl won't fail her.

It may be the same inflated/fake confidence as "Pearl will always team with me, if I ask" where Gem's constantly testing her ideal of Pearl's devotion (choosing her in SL) against Pearl's actual decisions, by presenting absurd goalposts that she can use against her. If Pearl does express discomfort at being left out, or present any sort of obstacle to Gem, that feeds the "ungrateful 2v1 miscommunication" fire. But when Pearl does internalize it as normal, Gem is able to act however she likes. In doing so, she's still pushing Pearl towards calling her on treating her differently. (Especially since she's alluded onstream and with the "teaming w me" convo that they WILL spend time resolving the divorce.)

There's also Gem and Grian's good cop/bad cop treatment, letting Gem appear kinder and more approachable, despite both pushing Pearl away. They've calibrated from constantly criticizing Pearl to only picking at specific sore spots and being nice when prompted: a welcome change, both for audience comfort and cleaner storytelling. Oomf @cargocraft identified that Grian's uncomfortable with Pearl holding two truths at the same time (doesn't like/do evil, but entirely devoted to her team anyway) while Gem's deep-rooted trust in Pearl means she doesn't bug her so much every time Pearl expresses negativity. Technically, Gem is being nicer to her... by comparison.

Cabincrew are fantastic pseudo-allies for many reasons, but especially in how they visibly separate Pearl from GriGem. Beyond Etho joining GriGem pushing away Pearl for plot reasons, Scar and Scott call her skin "cabin muscles" which can only be alliance flirting, and BDubs outright declares war only on Gem: being super sweet to Pearl when everyone's in the End. They're the only team even seeing Gempearl's dynamic right now: since Pearl's not forcing Gem's hand yet (ex: chasing her down in WL) nobody around them is challenging their tangible distance. Except Etho.

Spurred by Etho blatantly stirring the pot, Gem giving Pearl the diamonds and ILY compliment was the minimum validation to reassure she still cares about Pearl's feelings. It's obviously forced and required prompting, so a lot less than Pearl needs, but more than she would ever ask for. Helps that Gem meant every word anyway: it's very important to both of them that the entire world knows they're each other's Person. Anyone calling that into question will get shot down. Further isolates their divorce into a "between them" thing -- forcing Pearl to be the one to call Gem out.

It's not that Gem wants to neglect Pearl, she just doesn't know how to even address Pearl's feelings, let alone bring up her own. As many have pointed out: Pearl's reasoning "Gem is super loyal / especially to me" is outright false in Life Series, even if they do pair up a lot. So Gem delays responding and instead tries demonstrating that she isn't extra loyal to her team and definitely doesn't take care of Pearl anyway. Except Pearl's undying moral ideals/101 insecurities mean she'll agonize forever to "be a bad teammate" and raise issue, let alone "be bad to Gem" and disagree enough to leave.

A failure of communication from both sides but especially Gem, because Pearl's given her perspective and Gem is forcing her to go even further and fight for it.

Bonus Thoughts

I definitely recommend Pearl's episode for understanding how she feels about all this. Gem's keeping her actions subtextual with hardly any explicit explaining to the camera, but Pearl's dialogue, editing, and even cubito body language, immerses the audience in her journey. You feel her connection with Cabincrew as you do her quiet, confused isolation with Villys. It's awesome to experience.

Onstream, both Gem and Pearl seem excited to be telling this story. They have such tangible affection for the Villys and a sort of playful attitude towards the fandom. Knowing they've sat on "how to resolve divorce arc" for 8 months only makes this sweeter. I do believe Gem was genuinely busy this episode, yet she clearly dedicates thought to every Pearl interaction they fit in, let alone her and Grian's united front and separation from Pearl. All three of them are concocting something serious. Thank you for reading!

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If Martyn does end up getting himself out of the series early, funniest team for Cleo to refuge with is Villys. After Cleo's increasingly desperate campaign to get Villys taken seriously as a threat, including threatening them to their face, what's left but to join them? Bonus points if Villys don't care about Martyn's death and let Cleo hang around bc they think they're harmless. And proven wrong.

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THIS IS TRUE. Point not made enough in my post is all interpretations are inherently valid. The medium is meant to be fluid. Analysis shouldn't be gatekept to POVs. However, the analysis will suffer from not seeing their side of the story.

Gem specifically tailors to analysis/complexity, which can be frustrating when her added nuances are missed in other POVs. Her style rewards, well, arguably watching multiple POVs along with her own. She takes into account editing contradictions between POVs and how she comes across to individual players as well as the whole — see how she treats Pearl versus Mumbo, and how she plays to their specific audiences. And that's not even touching on her relationship with the audience: as you described, her attitude when approaching or recovering from situations is fascinating and often contained to her videos. And EVERY CC is like this -- makes more, often entertaining too, sense from their videos, but it goes extra for Gem who keeps all of this in mind on top of everything else.

You put it elegantly: the experience is more fulfilling when seen and understood through Gem.

ngl sometimes i think people (not you btw) interpret/analyze c!gem's actions WAY more negatively than they are (or than they are supposed) and it irks me a little bit because, if anything, it leaves out the true nuance that comes from c!gem's mindset. and it’s also kind of funny because it creates this spectrum of people that go from "gem is a competent player with no flaws and goes with the flow of things naturally" to "everything gem does is an act of manipulation/act that has no other reason other than manipulate and be powerful". like, cc gem literally lays that c!gem has deep reasons as to why she acts a certain way everytime she can! she is such an interesting character because her actions are very questionable and her reasons are seemingly logical while her mind is an array of emotions fighting to keep her stable, and that’s so juicy! the fun thing in past life is that (after that 1st session) gem is actually being even more reserved with her vulnerability to others and the watchers, so it makes it harder to see her rather than just look at her sometimes.

idk, i guess it’s a case of "the blue curtain has more shades than just marine blue but you lot refuse to discuss them because it makes things difficult to interpret". even then, anyone is entitled to have their own interpretation of things, i just wish more of the c!gem analysis were focused on her nuance from her pov first, and then people can look at how that affects her relationships.

Relevant, from oomf @pickastitch

You can tell when someone watches Gem POV if they think she believes her own hype or not. One of her mantras is a panicked "It's fine" as she glosses over an acknowledged problem she doesn't wanna solve. This is one of the main parts of her appeal. Simplified and bad-faith Gem analyses are from seeing her only in other POVs and not trusting Gem to have deeper intent/story behind her actions.

My own analyses lean more intent/social game focused, but those conclusions are from the same emotional root that Gem desperately wants control. She's incredibly aware of her surroundings/role in others' stories and it's ruining her life. Every relationship has strings attached, every word double meanings. Enough overthinking to kill someone lesser. Dumming her down to single archetypes is not only a disservice but absolutely out of character. You can't explain all her actions (social and emotional) as one thing.

Big fan of you pointing out Gem being more reserved not only to players but also the audience. SL Gem often explains her current state of mind, while WL is more jokey satire between the lines and PL is the most guesswork speculation I've done yet. Gem herself loves the mystery and analysis and layers of intent and, at some point, death of the author interpretations. That's why it's so frustrating to see her simplified into boxes.

Especially in the present where Gem's subverting even these inaccurate interpretations. Embracing both the competent teammate and the controlling devil in WL and PL: how she talks and treats her allies. At least in my analyses, describing her "manipulation" is often complimentary: Gem succeeding at controlling the situation, usually against the conscious wishes of other players. Yet the nuance of being good at 'the lying and murder game' (and Gem's complicated intent/emotions about it) is often lost from other perspectives. Even watching her own videos there's an idea that she's playing a one-dimensional character on purpose: maybe she is a cruel and sinister villain. Audiences take Gem at her (often satirical) word without bothering to look deeper: believing that even if the curtains are different colors, the author didn't intend that, so it's not worth examining.

It's Misogyny Too!

I will say a lot of surface-level "Gem is a perfect teammate / 100% malicious manipulator" takes come from people who don't watch her POV, and a lot of those also... don't understand women. She's a benevolent competent caretaker who shares the spotlight, or a Machiavellian vindictive siren unfairly ruining game balance? Come on now.

"Blorbo's loved one"-ification also happens: slotting Gem in as Grian or Joel's sister/cousin/caretaker or GIGGS' mom friend/daughter or even shippy cardboard cutout girlfriend for whatever mcyt. These dynamics can have nuance and even be supported by the CC's, but not if that's the only trait Gem has. (Pearl especially experiences this with Skyblings.) This is annoying if not that big a deal on it's own (sometimes you just want a stock big sister character for your yaoi fic) but isn't accurate for serious "Analysis" writing. WL Gem cares about a lot more things than just getting Joel a win, and she definitely doesn't want Pearl suffering forever and ever and ever.

Even thinking her character isn't that deep on purpose is saying Gem doesn't or CAN'T put the necessary thought into complex characters. There was this GIGGS stream recently (7/15) where Gem describes she doesn't wanna tryhard PEAK bc once they reach the peak they probably won't play anymore, and then later she suggests planning Phasmo for colder months when it's spooky/cozy vibes so it'll perform better. Both astute conclusions. And Skizz jokes "There's not just a hat rack on those shoulders!" and the other boys are like "dang is this what two weeks of Covid does to Gem, she schemes?"

And she's like "Guys you know I'm always thinking like this, right?"

Ultimately there's both a lack of imagination for c!Gem's wants and relationships, and no respect towards cc!Gem's intent and storytelling competence. And when imagination/intent are the strengths of the MCYT medium, of course that analysis falls short.

[huggywuggysuppy]

you know what i hope pearl lowkey sees this. because her episode absolutely beat scar's in terms of bean reactions. Her ep 3 fished out MORE squeaks, shrills, and screams than Scar's, PLUS a hysteria induced laughing fit. I hope the lifers are happy.

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ngl sometimes i think people (not you btw) interpret/analyze c!gem's actions WAY more negatively than they are (or than they are supposed) and it irks me a little bit because, if anything, it leaves out the true nuance that comes from c!gem's mindset. and it’s also kind of funny because it creates this spectrum of people that go from "gem is a competent player with no flaws and goes with the flow of things naturally" to "everything gem does is an act of manipulation/act that has no other reason other than manipulate and be powerful". like, cc gem literally lays that c!gem has deep reasons as to why she acts a certain way everytime she can! she is such an interesting character because her actions are very questionable and her reasons are seemingly logical while her mind is an array of emotions fighting to keep her stable, and that’s so juicy! the fun thing in past life is that (after that 1st session) gem is actually being even more reserved with her vulnerability to others and the watchers, so it makes it harder to see her rather than just look at her sometimes.

idk, i guess it’s a case of "the blue curtain has more shades than just marine blue but you lot refuse to discuss them because it makes things difficult to interpret". even then, anyone is entitled to have their own interpretation of things, i just wish more of the c!gem analysis were focused on her nuance from her pov first, and then people can look at how that affects her relationships.

Relevant, from oomf @pickastitch

You can tell when someone watches Gem POV if they think she believes her own hype or not. One of her mantras is a panicked "It's fine" as she glosses over an acknowledged problem she doesn't wanna solve. This is one of the main parts of her appeal. Simplified and bad-faith Gem analyses are from seeing her only in other POVs and not trusting Gem to have deeper intent/story behind her actions.

My own analyses lean more intent/social game focused, but those conclusions are from the same emotional root that Gem desperately wants control. She's incredibly aware of her surroundings/role in others' stories and it's ruining her life. Every relationship has strings attached, every word double meanings. Enough overthinking to kill someone lesser. Dumming her down to single archetypes is not only a disservice but absolutely out of character. You can't explain all her actions (social and emotional) as one thing.

Big fan of you pointing out Gem being more reserved not only to players but also the audience. SL Gem often explains her current state of mind, while WL is more jokey satire between the lines and PL is the most guesswork speculation I've done yet. Gem herself loves the mystery and analysis and layers of intent and, at some point, death of the author interpretations. That's why it's so frustrating to see her simplified into boxes.

Especially in the present where Gem's subverting even these inaccurate interpretations. Embracing both the competent teammate and the controlling devil in WL and PL: how she talks and treats her allies. At least in my analyses, describing her "manipulation" is often complimentary: Gem succeeding at controlling the situation, usually against the conscious wishes of other players. Yet the nuance of being good at 'the lying and murder game' (and Gem's complicated intent/emotions about it) is often lost from other perspectives. Even watching her own videos there's an idea that she's playing a one-dimensional character on purpose: maybe she is a cruel and sinister villain. Audiences take Gem at her (often satirical) word without bothering to look deeper: believing that even if the curtains are different colors, the author didn't intend that, so it's not worth examining.

It's Misogyny Too!

I will say a lot of surface-level "Gem is a perfect teammate / 100% malicious manipulator" takes come from people who don't watch her POV, and a lot of those also... don't understand women. She's a benevolent competent caretaker who shares the spotlight, or a Machiavellian vindictive siren unfairly ruining game balance? Come on now.

"Blorbo's loved one"-ification also happens: slotting Gem in as Grian or Joel's sister/cousin/caretaker or GIGGS' mom friend/daughter or even shippy cardboard cutout girlfriend for whatever mcyt. These dynamics can have nuance and even be supported by the CC's, but not if that's the only trait Gem has. (Pearl especially experiences this with Skyblings.) This is annoying if not that big a deal on it's own (sometimes you just want a stock big sister character for your yaoi fic) but isn't accurate for serious "Analysis" writing. WL Gem cares about a lot more things than just getting Joel a win, and she definitely doesn't want Pearl suffering forever and ever and ever.

Even thinking her character isn't that deep on purpose is saying Gem doesn't or CAN'T put the necessary thought into complex characters. There was this GIGGS stream recently (7/15) where Gem describes she doesn't wanna tryhard PEAK bc once they reach the peak they probably won't play anymore, and then later she suggests planning Phasmo for colder months when it's spooky/cozy vibes so it'll perform better. Both astute conclusions. And Skizz jokes "There's not just a hat rack on those shoulders!" and the other boys are like "dang is this what two weeks of Covid does to Gem, she schemes?"

And she's like "Guys you know I'm always thinking like this, right?"

Ultimately there's both a lack of imagination for c!Gem's wants and relationships, and no respect towards cc!Gem's intent and storytelling competence. And when imagination/intent are the strengths of the MCYT medium, of course that analysis falls short.

[huggywuggysuppy]

PL More Evidence of Gem Betraying Grian

Adding onto my ep2 theory: Gem passively urging Grian towards spearheading escalated action, leaving him to trigger the trap, and choosing a quiet approach during the ensuing witch hunt, continues setting Grian up to ultimately take the fall for ALL of Villy’s actions.

Gem and Grian were nearly inseparable this episode: demonstrating how others look to Grian first, his reliance on her making the decisions, and Gem pushing him even further into the spotlight. Etho elevated this by following Gem's cues as well and hamming up inter-team drama. Bdubs interprets his clinginess as Gem being “the cool kid” (reputation/status symbol) while Grian is the explicit schemer. Generally, Gem and Grian check in with each other on actions, but she pushes back on his ideas where he folds against hers.

This culminates in the trap. Strategically and somewhat nervous, Grian asks Gem to be the one to trigger the trap, rightly arguing that she’s the least suspicious (+ famously strong at deflection.) However, Gem makes her disapproval very clear, doubting he’s in danger and expressing her own discomfort, and he backs down. This keeps her hands clean while making it seem like Grian was asking something unreasonable and cruel, and cowardly second-guessing their agreement — “do you want me to do it?” He has to double down on villainy, or she’ll think worse of him. It’s episode 1 all over again.

Once the accusations start flying, Gem lets the mob process through their ideas uninterrupted, only stepping in when it’s going too far (calling for an execution.) While manipulation would be tougher fighting against the noise, Gem doesn’t prepare a scapegoat or take attention off Grian the same way she backs up Etho. Her “we’re easy to frame” argument is well delivered, but broad and only truly clears her and Pearl. Gem rushes to stop the mob from outright murdering Grian, but Pearl’s the one to target Martyn first. Grian offers Scar, and Gem uses the idea to deflect (ex: interrupting Skizz/Joel) but again — flimsy, coming off as Villy’s defending each other. In Among Us, Gem’s entire bit is throwing out names and adamantly backing up any accusations that stick. This is her specialty, and she’s letting Grian take the hit.

However, her ultimate goal is hiding the Secret Society, including her involvement. Despite being at their base with the other two Villy's present, blame is firmly attributed to Etho and Grian alone. They need Gem to dissolve suspicion. It's completely expected for Gem to loudly defend her teammate -- at that point nobody assumed she was in cahoots w/the boys -- so why does she wait? It's possible delaying arguing with the Mob was to make the accusations unreasonable (executing Grian) and force them to run out of steam. She has practice letting Joel talk himself out of ideas, and knows most others will be satisfied walking away thinking "probably Grian or Scar." Whatever the reason, Gem took a quieter approach to controlling the situation, prioritizing keeping attention off herself and downplaying the consequences (aggrieved victim's feelings.) That will recoil back on Grian later.

Pearl’s role is altered this session as we see how they keep her tangibly out of the loop, yet still value her input. Gem suggests that Pearl covering for Grian may make the difference in public opinion, which Grian outright rejects. Pearl rarely lies especially with her moral code on the line: although in the actual event she defends him absolutely despite her doubts. (Pearl's POV in general is it's own post.) Gem also ensures Pearl is sent away on errands to avoid intervening in the Secret Society, also distancing her from any backlash and continuing to build positive relationships with other teams. She's keeping her in the Villys (resources, base plans, group convos) but at a drastic arms length away. Very curious, especially since they haven't had another 1 on 1 talk about feelings yet. In any case, Pearl and Grian are still isolated from each other.

In the best case, Gem is letting Grian take the entire fall for his actions, not intervening to lessen the blow or blame, keeping herself removed from the consequences. In the worst case she’s actively guiding him into incriminating situations, sending the tide of public opinion to ruin him. Either way, Gem doesn’t want to be attached to his maliciousness, only known for her loyal backup and personal status to gain or lose favor with. These aren’t the actions of a ride-or-die teammate: she’s using him as cover. For her grand victory, or another, deeply personal goal? The damage is the same.

Exactly what Scott did to her in SL. Thank you for reading! Another disclaimer that this is tinfoil hat speculation territory: I'm very biased and it's likely the normal Grian Gem partnership seen in GIGGS/HC. Worth noting that Grian chooses to depend on Gem -- he's on board, malicious scheme or not. There's just something deliberate in how Gem is handling Grian, and I'm gonna figure it out.

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she forgot her jacket 💪🌙

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The fact that Gem and Grian had a secret task that required them to sneak around without Pearl and lie to her and Pearl said she didn't notice because that felt normal for them probably says something about the way they treat her.

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1:25:00-1:27:00ish Gem REPO vod today. Small Life Series talk including her bewildered delight in Pearl having NO CLUE that Gem&Grian were up to something, and completely accepting Etho hanging around the base 24/7. Pearl seems understandably a bit fomo about it, but mostly accepting the comedy and reflecting it back on her own terrible perception. Gem enjoys Pearl distress. Oli is jealous. Perfect stream.